Freedom Devotional

After the gang rape of a 23-year old student in a bus in New Delhi, India, and the case of 17-year-old Anene Booysen who was gang-raped and murdered (her throat slit and body mutilated by a broken bottle) many women began looking for innovative ways to protect themselves from these sex predators. A few months after the above incidents, two high school football players were convicted in an Ohio rape case.  This culminated the fears of many women across the globe. "Are we safe?" They asked. "What do these men want, and how can we protect ourselves from them?" Recently, I read a lengthy article on Facebook.com that gave detailed descriptions on the types of women a typical rapist would like to attack, where they could get raped (if they were not careful enough) and what to do if they ever got attacked. Most of the solutions, were geared at turning young women into amateur ninjas. Other innovative solutions have also been developed to solve this epidemic. According ...

We live in a world where we are surrounded by a farrago of trouser-unzipping self-gratifying images (content). Hence, it is now nearly impossible not to stumble upon content, that act as a catalyst for our indulgence in the myriad forms of sex. "Hot, whoa, delicious" are the words we silently utter as our eyes feast on these images. A part of us yearns to continue feasting, like we have been hypnotized by the thoughts that evade our minds, to gratify our eyes. Another part of us, however, wants to be broken free from the jinx. Like a paralyzed rat being swallowed by a snake — unable to move or call for help — we helplessly watch and hope that someone will help us to "snap out of it". Till then, however, we helplessly gratify our eyes till we are turned on like horny dogs in pursuit of their next lady. People ask, do you really think its possible to quit pornography? That's like asking, do you think God can create an orange or a new planet whenever He feels l...

This is a question that is frequently asked by teenagers and young adults from different religious backgrounds and cultures, and therefore, the best way to answer it, will be to take it first from a neutral perspective before factoring in other views. I will first love to start by throwing a question at you: who determines what is right or wrong? Is it the laws of a country, a God some of us believe in — One who others are yet to know about, or a group of philosophers? Your question, when looked at through a morality or ethical scope, will lead us down a road of endless debates. Obviously not what you are looking for. The question "is it right or wrong?", is usually rooted in the internal battle (temptations) we all go through: to do, or not to do. At the beginning of every temptation, our first reaction is to think of ways to counter it. When this happens, some of us turn to the laws of our religion or country; others, a promise they made to themselves ...

Verses Romans 7:18-20 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. Romans 7:24-25 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. Message If we would all be honest with ourselves, we would have to admit that, there are many things we do that we wish we never did or ever started doing. No theory can explain this, and even the knowledge gathered from the fact that, 'hate-filled experiences from a person's past, have the power to send them on a quest to find love in the wrong places', isn't enough to keep us from indulging in acts...

Verses Proverbs 31:3-4 Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings. 4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: Message Many of us young folks, have at a point in our lives received advise from our parents or guardians on various topics pertaining to relationships, sex, drugs and probably every other social ill that destroyed the lives of their peers back in their day. We listened to their wise words, and promised never to indulge in certain acts. However as we grew up, things changed. We began doing the very things we promised never to do. Some of us began living secret lives, and this led us to perceive our parents as the enemy. Some of us grew rebellious: a contrast to the kids our parents were advising a few years back. So what happened? Why did we break the promises we made? What caused us to transform into the people we now "hate"? Many of us look in the mirror once in ...

Free ebook (The Mask Wearers) Introduction They are all around us; we see them everyday, and we spoke to some of them today. They are also the people we ignore, the ones we look down on, the people we bully, the ones whose hearts we break; the people we disrespect. They are the mask wearers, and till we understand them and/or ourselves, this deadly plague of hatred that's enveloping our planet, is only going to keep transforming us into hate-filled creatures in pursuit of illusions of love: illusions that leave us empty.

Verse 2 Corinthians 5:17 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. Message What goes through your mind when you flip through your old photo albums or when you see your baby photos? I don't know about you, but I laugh ( a lot at myself) whenever I see them; and sometimes I smile a bit as I  try to remember what it was like in those days—I believe am not the only one who does this. Anyway. Behind the laughter and smiles, there is one thought we all like to push away when we go through our old albums or baby photos; and the reason we push this thought away is that, we feel there is nothing we can do about it. When this thought emerges, we begin to hate ourselves or someone from our past; we begin to wish we could turn back the hands of time; we sometimes become depressed, shed a few tears and pray for way out of the bondage we may find ourselves in.  Why? Because we were all born as i...

Verse John 14:6 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Message The big question everyone or some people are asking is, "Why is He (Jesus) the only way?" or "Why isn't so-and-so the way?" They want to know why there aren't many ways to God and what makes Jesus so special; and there is one simple answer: SIN. If whoever we think is the way to the Father or some paradise or heaven, can take away our sins; If who or whatever it is can make us new people, and can give us the power to stop doing the things we do not want to do, then we can all take who or whatever it is to be the way.  As long as you are still struggling or battling with past sins and sin itself or himself, then you either haven't found the way or you have been deceived into going back to your old ways. He is the way, the only way to God. He is righteous and He gives us His righteousness when we accept His offer of sal...

Verses 2 Corinthians 12:9 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Philippians 4:13 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.  Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. Message "You just don't understand where I am coming from. I can't do it, I can't quit"; "I am tied of trying, maybe I was just born this way, maybe my environment shaped me and made me the way I am". Do you panic when you see the source of your addictions? Do you feel you can never quit doing something you do not want to do? Have you given up on trying? The truth is that in our own power we can never quit; we can never get around our former sources of addictions without being enslaved aga...